Courtyard Houses: Starting with the principle of hard work paying off

Chapter 175 A Series of Chance Encounters, Opportunities Delivered to Your Door (1 words)

"Silly Zhu, are you missing your wife?"

As someone who's been through it all, Yan Bugui saw right through Shazhu's thoughts. He couldn't help but tease him before adding, "Shazhu, after the New Year, you'll be twenty-one soon. It's time to find a girlfriend and a wife."

You have two rooms in our compound, and another one is the main room. If you partition it, you can use it as three rooms. You also have a stable job at the steel rolling mill, earning 27 yuan a month. With these conditions, you won't have trouble finding a wife.

"When your dad comes back from Baocheng, or if you ask your master to help you make some arrangements, this matter is guaranteed to succeed!"

What Yan Bugui said was not flattery.

With Sha Zhu's qualifications, his only flaws are his appearance, which is a bit plain and makes him look a little older than he is. However, he has advantages in other aspects. Even though he has a younger sister named Yu Shui, as long as he is not too picky, finding a wife will not be difficult.

After all, being a cook is a good job; you don't have to worry about food and drink, and the two rooms in the courtyard are a key plus.

"Uncle Yan, what you're saying is true. I don't want to find someone, but if I did, I would have been married long ago, even faster than Hongbing."

Yan Bugui's words seemed to be praising him, but also implied that he couldn't find a wife. Sha Zhu felt a little embarrassed and retorted, "I'm perfectly content now, with only myself to eat and no family to worry about. Why would I need someone to take care of me?"

"Silly Zhu, what do you mean by 'one person is full, the whole family isn't hungry'? Do you only live alone?"

Upon hearing that Sha Zhu was obsessed with saving face and showing off, Li Hongbing immediately started criticizing him.

Sha Zhu has many flaws, one of which is that he likes to talk big.

"Uh... I was just giving an example. What I mean is, with my current salary, I can easily support myself and Yushui."

Realizing his slip of the tongue, Sha Zhu was a little embarrassed. After explaining, he added, "I don't mean eating well every day, but at least I can have meat every few days, no problem."

It wasn't that he didn't take his sister Yushui seriously; it's just that he was usually carefree and prone to making careless remarks, and he just blurted it out without thinking.

The matter of finding a wife.

Sha Zhu wasn't in a hurry at first, but now that he sees Li Hongbing, who is a year younger than him, getting married soon, he's starting to feel a sense of urgency.

As for why Sha Zhu hasn't even found a girlfriend yet, without Yi Zhonghai's brainwashing...

The main reason was that He Daqing was not usually around, but his master Dong Congyou did help arrange a meeting once, but Sha Zhu thought the other party was not pretty enough and didn't like her.

Despite his average looks, Sha Zhu is a real looks-obsessed person. In addition, as Yan Bugui just said, Sha Zhu himself thinks he is good-looking, so he has high standards.

Especially after meeting Qin Huairu and Chen Xueru, Shazhu had a standard for comparison. He felt that the wife he was looking for could not be as beautiful and elegant as Chen Xueru, but she could at least not be much worse than Qin Huairu.

In this day and age, there are only a few ways to find a wife.

Either elders, relatives, friends, colleagues, or superiors arrange and introduce them, or, like Jia Dongxu, they pay a matchmaker to help arrange blind dates.

There is another one.

They are like Li Hongmei and Zhao Weiguo back then, or Li Hongbing and Chen Xueru now, who fell in love freely.

In terms of free love, Sha Zhu has basically no chance. Although he is decent in many ways, he is not particularly outstanding.

The key issue is that Sha Zhu isn't good-looking, has a sharp tongue, easily offends people, and usually acts carelessly, giving people the impression that he's unreliable.

These are all negative points.

Girls who are good-looking and have good qualities in all aspects are unlikely to be interested in someone like Sha Zhu, while those who are not good-looking are automatically filtered out by Sha Zhu.

As for actively seeking out matchmakers to arrange blind dates, that's even more impossible.

Because Sha Zhu was too embarrassed to admit it and felt ashamed.

Although he is now at the age to date and find a wife, he is still young. By taking the initiative to find a matchmaker, he is essentially admitting that no one is interested in him, or that he cannot find a wife on his own.

"Shazhu, you should find a wife as soon as possible. You have a good salary now, but if you really find a wife and have children in the future, there will be a lot of expenses."

Faced with Sha Zhu's remarks and seeing his youthful and fearless demeanor, Yan Bugui couldn't help but shake his head and kindly offer a word of advice.

Yan Bugui has a lot to say about how difficult it is to raise children, after all, he already has four children in his family.

"Uncle Yan, that's why I'm not in a hurry to find him."

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu couldn't help but laugh.

Sha Zhu ignored his advice. Yan Bugui was initially indifferent, but seeing his nonchalant attitude, he became more enthusiastic and said directly, "This is not a reason not to find a wife. Look at Hong Bing, he earns ninety-one yuan a month now. After he gets married, he can easily afford to raise not only one child but also a bunch of children."

You should learn from Hongbing and work hard to increase your salary. That will make finding a wife and raising children much easier.

"Hey! Uncle Yan, why are you comparing me to Hongbing out of the blue? Aren't you just trying to insult me?"

Upon hearing Yan Bugui compare himself to Li Hongbing, Sha Zhu immediately became displeased and retorted irritably, "How can I compare to Hongbing? You should ask around; in the entire Beijing chef circle, you can't find another Li Hongbing."

Today, Sha Zhu no longer harbors any resentment towards Li Hongbing. In terms of cooking skills and salary alone, Li Hongbing is someone Sha Zhu can only look up to.

"Isn't this a form of encouragement for you?"

Seeing Sha Zhu's depressed look, Yan Bugui almost burst out laughing.

"Uncle Yan, thank you so much! But it wasn't worth it!"

Sha Zhu felt that Yan Bugui was doing this on purpose, and immediately rejected his "encouragement".

Comparing yourself to Li Hongbing is just asking for trouble, isn't it?
He was in a good mood at first, but after just getting back, he suffered two setbacks in a row, and he really wanted to curse.

Watching Sha Zhu leave dejectedly, Yan Bugui shook his head and complained, "That Sha Zhu, he can't even tell if someone is being nice or mean."

Seeing this, Li Hongbing smiled but did not reply.

Given Sha Zhu's situation, if he simply wants to find a wife, it's not difficult. But if he has too high standards, he might end up like the original drama, becoming an old bachelor.

Li Hongbing knew that Sha Zhu probably wanted to find someone pretty, but given his situation, unless he went to the countryside like Jia Dongxu, or waited for those difficult years to come, he might not have any hope.

In difficult times, it would have been much easier for a cook who never lacked food and drink to find a good-looking city wife than it is now.

But right now, that's not very realistic; Sha Zhu obviously doesn't think much of country girls from the countryside.

Middle Court.

Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu, master and apprentice who had just returned from the steel rolling mill, also heard about Li Hongbing's wedding on New Year's Day and the banquet held in the courtyard, and their expressions were not very good.

Li Hongbing's good fortune has nothing to do with them.

As for holding a banquet in the courtyard, given the current relationship between the two families and their understanding of Li Hongbing, it's obvious that they definitely won't be invited.

Seeing the excited and expectant look on everyone in the courtyard, Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu felt out of place, as if they were isolated.

The residents in the compound are all very pragmatic.

Now that Li Hongbing is young and promising with a bright future, not to mention ordinary residents, even the two senior residents, Yan Bugui and Du Jianguo, are eager to curry favor with him.

Although they weren't deliberately targeted, Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu experienced the coldness of human relationships firsthand.

……

a few days later.

Li Hongbing's days off.

On this day, Li Hongbing invited Chen Xueru to go shopping with him. The two of them went to the department stores and various shops outside to buy items for their upcoming wedding and after the wedding, including large items such as bicycles, sewing machines and radios.

While these items were still free of charge, Li Hongbing bought them all.

As for the watch, Chen Xueru had already given him an imported Swiss watch as a gift before.

Chen Xueru wore a matching women's version from the same series, making them a couple's set.

In this era, the concept of matching couple items did not exist. Even abroad, this concept only gradually emerged after the 1960s.

Li Hongbing has a bicycle, but it's a second-hand assembled one that he's ridden for several years, so he's taking this opportunity to get a new one.

Chen Xueru has studied tailoring professionally, and her skills are no worse than those of the master tailors. In the future, she will have a sewing machine at home, which will be useful for making clothes or doing sewing and mending.

Even though Li Hongbing and Chen Xueru are both well-off, Li Hongbing has already stockpiled a lot of fabric in the system space. Unlike others who have to mend and patch their clothes for three years, he can find the master tailor in his own shop to make clothes. He doesn't have to do it himself.

But we can choose not to use it, but we cannot live without it.

The two spent almost a day out, thoroughly enjoying themselves. Li Hongbing even hired a handcart driver to completely free his hands.

When the shopping trip was over, Li Hongbing gave Wobo an address and asked him to deliver the things he bought to the courtyard house first. Then, he took the new bicycle and the purchase receipts to the nearby police station to get them stamped. Finally, he rode the new bicycle to take Chen Xueru home.

Not counting the bicycle, the sewing machine and radio alone cost several hundred yuan, so Li Hongbing wasn't worried that Wobo would have any ulterior motives.

In this day and age, this is considered a major case, and the police officers at the local police station are not to be trifled with.

After sending Chen Xueru back, Li Hongbing soon ran into her again on the way back to the courtyard house.

After all, he was pulling a heavy cart loaded with valuable items. He couldn't walk fast because he was afraid of damaging the sewing machine and radio on the cart. Li Hongbing, on the other hand, was riding a bicycle, and his speed was obviously much faster than Li Hongbing's.

Upon arriving at the courtyard, Li Hongbing immediately instructed Wobo to unload the goods, and then pushed the bicycle inside first.

"Hey! Hongbing, you bought a new bicycle?"

As soon as they entered the front yard, the sharp-eyed Aunt Yan was immediately drawn to Li Hongbing's new bicycle and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"Yes, Aunt Yan."

Li Hongbing nodded, stopped, and said to the women in the courtyard, "Aunt Yan, Aunt Yang, I bought some things and they're outside now. Could you please call a few people to go out and help bring them in?"

Li Hongbing bought a lot of things today, but he didn't want to carry them all himself, so he found some helpers.

Aunt Yan and Aunt Yang agreed, but before they could even speak, the others who had overheard them had already gotten up and left.

After pushing the newly bought bicycle into the house, when Li Hongbing came back outside, Aunt Yan and Aunt Yang were both a little unsettled.

"Hongbing, why did you buy so much stuff again?"

"Is this a radio? My husband, Lao Yan, has been dreaming of buying one, but it's too expensive."

"And that bicycle from earlier, didn't you already have one? Why are you buying another one?"

"My goodness, how much did all this stuff cost?"

"Hongbing, you bought all this today, is it all for your upcoming wedding?"

"A bicycle, a radio, and this sewing machine—they've bought three major items right off the bat!"

"..."

While everyone was amazed, they couldn't help but feel envious.

There was only admiration, not jealousy.

Because their jealousy is useless; no matter how hard they try, it will be difficult for them to catch up with Li Hongbing's current level.

Starting two years ago, Li Hongbing's monthly salary was already fifty-six, which directly exceeded that of most people in the hospital.

Recently, his salary soared to 91, making him the highest-paid employee in the entire hospital.

No one thought Li Hongbing couldn't afford these things.

The money Li Hongbing spent on shopping today is barely a fraction of his income.

Over the past few years, Li Hongbing's living conditions have been the best in the entire hospital. He can spend money as he pleases, but because his income is so high, he always has money left over. Therefore, in everyone's eyes, Li Hongbing is very wealthy.

In fact, if it weren't for the thousand yuan reward he received for advancing his cooking skills a while ago, Li Hongbing wouldn't have much money left in his pocket right now.

No one knew that Li Hongbing had been stockpiling various supplies in the system space for years.

This is a rather expensive and secret project.

After Wobo unloaded everything from the cart, Li Hongbing settled the day's wages, and the other party left gratefully.

It's not surprising that the other party reacted this way, after all, today's work wasn't very tiring, and Li Hongbing's wages were quite generous.

"Aunt Yan, Aunt Yang... Thank you all for your help today. Please take these and share them with yourselves."

After all the items were moved, Li Hongbing took some pastries from what he had bought that day and shared them with Aunt Yan and the others who had helped move the things.

"Oh, no need, no need!"

"It was just a small favor; we didn't really do much."

"Hongbing, you're too kind."

"This makes us so embarrassed!"

"It's nothing, just a small token of my appreciation."

"..."

Although everyone said they didn't need it and were embarrassed, their actions and the smiles on their faces betrayed their true feelings. Li Hongbing smiled and didn't feel bad about it.

Li Hongbing dislikes being schemed against or taken advantage of, but he also dislikes taking advantage of others. They had just helped him, so naturally there should be reciprocity.

For Li Hongbing, managing neighborly relations is obviously not difficult.

A little favor is enough to win people's hearts.

Of course.

If you don't strike the right balance, or if you're too "good," then people might take advantage of you.

However, everyone in the courtyard knew that Li Hongbing was not someone to be trifled with, and they obviously knew their limits.

night.

After Li Hongbing finished eating, he was practicing calligraphy in his room to gain experience points when Yan Bugui, who knew that Li Hongbing had bought a new bicycle, took the initiative to come over.

"Hongbing, I heard you bought a new bicycle?"

As he asked the question, Yan Bugui couldn't help but glance into the house. Seeing the new bicycle parked inside and the old one, an envious look involuntarily appeared on his face.

"We're getting married soon, and it's a time for a fresh start. We've been riding our old bike for several years, so we thought we'd get a new one."

Looking at Yan Bugui, Li Hongbing responded calmly.

Given Yan Bugui's character of never visiting unless there's a reason, he must be hiding something or have some purpose; otherwise, he wouldn't have made a special trip to visit just for this matter.

Normally, Yan Bugui would create "chance encounters" by taking advantage of his going out or coming back, or he would start to get close to him after his morning exercise.

Hearing Li Hongbing's casual reply, the envy in Yan Bugui's eyes noticeably intensified.

If someone else had said that, Yan Bugui would have thought it was just a boast, even if he didn't show it on his face. But with Li Hongbing, he didn't even think he was being pretentious.

Because Li Hongbing truly has that ability.

A bicycle now costs over a hundred yuan. An ordinary person would have to save up for half a year, or even a year or two, to buy one. And that's less than two months' salary for Li Hongbing.

"Hongbing, now that you've bought a new bicycle, does that mean you can't use your old one anymore?"

Knowing Li Hongbing's personality, Yan Bugui didn't play any tricks or schemes with him. After a tentative question, he went straight to the point: "Name your price for that old bicycle, and I'll sell it to you, Uncle Yan. What do you think?"

After speaking, Yan Bugui looked at Li Hongbing with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation, waiting for his answer.

If it were anyone else, Yan Bugui would never dare to reveal his thoughts directly, but Li Hongbing was clearly not short of money, and he wasn't the kind of person who liked to ask for exorbitant sums.

Yan Bugui had wanted to buy a bicycle for a long time, but he couldn't bring himself to do so because of its high price.

Now that Li Hongbing has bought a new bicycle, it seems he's been waiting to snatch up the old one before anyone else has their eyes on it.

Despite being a second-hand assembled bicycle, which Li Hongbing had ridden for three years, its overall quality remained quite good due to the solid materials used in the parts and the skillful assembly technique.

As long as the price isn't too high, buying it is a great deal.

For Yan Bugui, this was a golden opportunity to snag a bargain.

"Uncle Yan, you may be disappointed. I have no intention of selling this old bicycle."

Having understood Yan Bugui's thoughts, Li Hongbing could only give a disappointing answer.

Speculation and profiteering today are still mainly commercial activities, as well as some commodities and industries controlled by the state. Normal private transactions between individuals are not included in this scope.

Li Hongbing wasn't afraid of that; the main thing was that the old bicycle was Zhao Weiguo's betrothal gift when he married Li Hongmei, and it obviously had special sentimental value for Li Hongmei and Zhao Weiguo.

Even though Li Hongbing doesn't need it now, he doesn't plan to sell it. Instead, he plans to send it to them sometime. Since there are two of them now, plus the car that Li Hongbing gave as part of his dowry, each of them can have one, making it more convenient for them to travel in the future.

"Hongbing, don't worry, Uncle Yan will definitely give you a fair price and make sure you don't suffer a loss."

Thinking that Li Hongbing thought he was stingy and unwilling to spend money, Yan Bugui quickly expressed his willingness to try to win him over.

Although some repair shops sell privately assembled bicycles, their quality is questionable.

Li Hongbing's old car obviously didn't have this problem, and since he knew its background, he felt confident buying it. Even though the price wasn't much cheaper than elsewhere, Yan Bugui could accept it.

“Uncle Yan, it’s not about the money. I plan to give that old bicycle to my sister and brother-in-law.”

Li Hongbing had no choice but to reveal his plan.

That old bicycle, though not as good as new ones or current top-brand domestic bicycles, could easily sell for several tens of yuan.

It wasn't that Li Hongbing completely disregarded the money. Besides its special significance for Li Hongmei and Zhao Weiguo, the main reason was that Li Hongmei had already decided to cover all the expenses for their wedding banquet on New Year's Day.

Li Hongbing didn't want to take advantage of them or make them spend money. Since the old bicycle was idle, returning it to them was a kind of "compensation".

"That's it!"

Upon hearing Li Hongbing's words, Yan Bugui realized that he had no chance and was immediately filled with disappointment.

Li Hongbing is an exception. He gave away an old bicycle worth several tens of yuan without hesitation. Not many people would do that, even to their own sister.

But since this person is Li Hongbing, everything makes sense.

"Uncle Yan, if you want to buy a bicycle, why not just buy a new one? Bicycles are much cheaper now than they were four or five years ago, so now is the perfect time to buy one."

Knowing that Yan Bugui had always wanted a bicycle of his own, but Yan Bugui was stingy and unwilling to spend the money, otherwise he wouldn't have set his sights on Yan Bugui's old bicycle this time.

Considering the good relationship they've had over the past few years, Li Hongbing offered a well-intentioned suggestion.

Due to the shortage of raw materials and weak industrial development in the early days of the People's Republic of China, the production of bicycles was not high and their prices were extremely expensive.

With the development in recent years, especially with the implementation of the First Five-Year Plan, the annual output of domestically produced bicycles has gradually increased, and the price is much cheaper than before.

While the current price is still expensive for many people, there's not much room for it to drop further.

The key is.

Now that national grain coupons have been issued, it won't be long before we fully enter the era of coupons. When that time comes, if you want to buy a bicycle, you'll need a bicycle coupon.

Buying now is obviously the most cost-effective option.

Yan Bugui was unaware of these things, which is why Li Hongbing specifically reminded him.

"This... Hongbing, you overestimate your Uncle Yan. A new bicycle is so expensive these days, and my salary isn't high either. My family is barely making ends meet, so where would I get the money to buy a new bicycle!"

After hesitating for a moment, Yan Bugui, who was almost tempted, gave a bitter smile and started crying about being poor in front of Li Hongbing.

"Uncle Yan, if you don't buy it now, you'll regret it later."

Seeing that Yan Bugui was still putting on an act in front of him, Li Hongbing shook his head helplessly.

Perhaps others don't know, but surely Li Hongbing knows?

Don't be fooled by Yan Bugui's constant complaints about being poor and calculating, making it seem like he's living a very difficult life. In reality, he's just stingy.

In the original drama, Yan Bugui was the first person in the entire courtyard to buy a television. Later, when the government opened up the country and Yan Jiecheng and Yu Li opened a restaurant, Yan Bugui lent them a large sum of money, amounting to several thousand yuan.

In the early 1980s, would someone who could readily produce several thousand dollars be poor?

This kind of money can't be saved up in just a day or two.

Even now, Yan Bugui's family is not that wealthy, and with four children in the family, plus himself and his wife, there are a total of six mouths to feed, so the financial burden is indeed quite heavy.

However, Yan Bugui's salary as a primary school teacher was not as low as people thought. Moreover, Yan Bugui was frugal and tried every means to save money, so his actual monthly expenses were not high. Even when it was not a difficult period, he lived frugally.

Putting everything else aside, Yan Bugui certainly has the money to buy a new bicycle right now.

He was still feeling the pinch of the money, but upon hearing Li Hongbing's words, Yan Bugui couldn't help but press, "Hongbing, what do you mean by that? Why won't you regret it later if you don't buy it now?"

Li Hongbing works at Fengzeyuan, where the guests are mostly upper-class people, political figures, and celebrities. They might know some things that ordinary people like them don't.

"Actually, it's nothing. Right now, things like grain, cotton cloth, sugar, and oil all require rationing and coupons to buy, right? It's possible that other things will be handled the same way next, including big items like bicycles."

Li Hongbing stated frankly.

Li Hongbing wasn't afraid of any trouble from saying these things now, since several industries and materials had already been included in the state's policy of unified purchase and sale, and he wasn't the only one with similar speculations.

"Can't this be done?"

Hearing Li Hongbing say this, Yan Bugui was somewhat skeptical and couldn't help but say, "Everything else is fine, but bicycles are big purchases. They're not cheap. Even without restrictions, not many people could afford them. Your worries are obviously unnecessary."

"Uncle Yan, I'm just guessing, not saying it's certain. Whether you buy it or not is entirely up to you."

I have already given him a proper reminder. Whether Yan Bugui believes it or not is his business.

Li Hongbing was too lazy to say anything more.

If you buy it now, you've made a profit.

Even if Li Hongbing regrets not buying it later, it has nothing to do with him.

"Sigh, whether that's true or not, I really want to buy it, but I just don't have the means!"

Yan Bugui sighed, clearly having made his decision.

He didn't think that Li Hongbing would deliberately try to frame him for no reason.

But who can say for sure what the future holds?

He didn't quite believe what Li Hongbing said.

Moreover, the price of bicycles now is much lower than it was five or six years ago, right after the founding of the People's Republic of China.

During that period, when prices were at their highest, a bicycle cost four or five hundred yuan, but now it only costs a little over one hundred yuan, less than two hundred.

Seeing how much the price had dropped in just a few years, Yan Bugui thought that if he wanted to buy a new bicycle, he could wait a few more years, when the price might drop even further, so he wasn't in a hurry to buy one.

Seeing Yan Bugui's remarks, Li Hongbing already knew his thoughts and said nothing more.

The opportunity was given, but Yan Bugui couldn't seize it, and there was nothing he could do.

Some things in this world are ultimately governed by fate.

If Li Hongbing hadn't been familiar with this history, and lacked sufficient knowledge and understanding of the current situation, he probably wouldn't have believed it, just like Yan Bugui.

……

As time went by, the weather grew colder day by day.

In the winter of Beijing, snow gradually began to fall outside.

This evening.

After finishing work, Li Hongbing didn't go straight home. Instead, he planned to visit Chen Xueru's silk shop and then take her home.

Unexpectedly, they encountered Xu Huizhen, who was heavily pregnant and leaning against a wall, bargaining with a tricycle driver on the street.

"Tricycle, tricycle..."

"Where are you going?"

Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

"Two cents to Peking Union Medical College Hospital."

"Are you robbing me?"

"With such heavy snow, two cents is still a lot of money?"

"..."

Seeing that things were already at a critical point, and Xu Huizhen was still trying to negotiate and argue with the tricycle driver, Li Hongbing was speechless.

Normally, the fare for a tricycle from here to Xiehe Hospital is 15 cents, but today it's snowing, so the price has gone up. However, Xu Huizhen is unwilling to accept this price.

It wasn't that Xu Huizhen was short of those five cents, but rather that she was just like her name—she liked to be meticulous and didn't want to waste her money.

Li Hongbing stepped forward and said helplessly, "Xu Huizhen, even at a time like this, you're still fussing over a few cents. You've got quite a heart."

Faced with this situation, even if Xu Huizhen and Chen Xueru were now good friends and besties, or even if she were an ordinary pregnant woman he didn't know, Li Hongbing couldn't just sit idly by.

It involved lives, and it was really just a small favor.

In this era, there is no crisis of social trust, and the question of "to help or not to help" is almost non-existent.

"It is you?"

Xu Huizhen looked up and saw that it was Li Hongbing, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Xu Huizhen hesitated for a moment after her gaze fell on the bicycle that Li Hongbing was pushing, but she couldn't help but say, "Li Hongbing, could you help me get to the hospital?"

"This is not okay."

Faced with Xu Huizhen's request, Li Hongbing shook his head and refused directly, saying, "The roads are slippery on snowy days, and two-wheeled bicycles are not safe. If something happens, it would be irresponsible to your safety and the baby in your belly."

Just as Xu Huizhen was feeling disappointed, she heard Li Hongbing shout, "Tricycle!"

Xu Huizhen turned her head and saw Li Hongbing waving and stopping a passing tricycle. She was stunned.

however.

While Xu Huizhen was stunned, Li Hongbing was also taken aback.

He noticed that the person riding the tricycle looked remarkably like He Daqing.

Cai Quanwu?
Realizing this, Li Hongbing breathed a sigh of relief.

Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

After helping Xu Huizhen into the car, Li Hongbing said to Cai Quanwu, "Please take her there and look after her for a while. Here's the money."

"Aren't you coming along?"

Looking at the money Li Hongbing handed over, which was clearly more than two cents for the fare, and hearing what he said, Cai Quanwu was stunned.

"I have something to do. I need to pick someone up first, and I'll go over later."

Li Hongbing offered an explanation.

If Chen Xueru knew about Xu Huizhen's condition, she would definitely rush to the hospital to see her. Moreover, she is currently waiting for him at the store, so Li Hongbing naturally cannot just leave her alone at the store and accompany Xu Huizhen to the hospital.

Although Xu Huizhen's situation was more urgent, Chen Xueru was clearly more important to Li Hongbing.

and.

Although they had never met, Li Hongbing trusted Cai Quanwu's character quite a bit.

"Let's go!"

Seeing that Cai Quanwu was stunned for a moment, clearly encountering this situation for the first time, Li Hongbing urged him directly.

After watching Cai Quanwu take Xu Huizhen to the hospital on his tricycle, Li Hongbing pushed his bicycle, preparing to go to Chen Xueru's shop to tell her about it.

only.

When Li Hongbing arrived at Qianmen Street, he ran into an acquaintance again.

This acquaintance was none other than Gu Jianliang, the former general manager of Fengzeyuan, who was also Li Hongbing's former boss.

When Gu Jianliang was transferred, Li Hongbing only guessed that he was being promoted, but he didn't know which department he was transferred to or what specific work he would be responsible for.

But seeing the few people around him, surrounding him and clearly putting him first, and considering their inspection-like demeanor at this time and place, Li Hongbing had already guessed what was going on.

Li Hongbing only knew two people around Gu Jianliang: the director of the street office and the director of the neighborhood committee.

Previously, Fengzeyuan was an early pilot and successful case of public-private partnership. Gu Jianliang was the main person in charge of all the reforms. However, just before the public-private partnership was about to be implemented across the entire industry, Gu Jianliang was suddenly transferred and promoted. Now he is accompanied by the heads of the street office and neighborhood committee. He is inspecting Qianmen Street late at night and discussing something. All of these signs are too obvious.

Given Gu Jianliang's rank and experience, he is clearly not qualified to be a high-level leader in charge of the reform of public-private partnership across all industries in Beijing. However, he is certainly qualified to be a key member of the reform team, or even a junior leader.

At the very least, it is higher than the position of the director of the street office and neighborhood committee here.

Realizing the situation, Li Hongbing quickly pushed his bicycle forward, took the umbrella off the bicycle, opened it, and handed it to Gu Jianliang, saying with a smile, "Old leader, it's so late at night, and it's snowing outside. Why didn't you bring an umbrella?"

"Hey? It's Hongbing!"

Faced with this sudden situation, Gu Jianliang was obviously taken aback for a moment. After realizing that the person who came was Li Hongbing, he took the umbrella and greeted him with a smile, "It's snowing outside today, and the restaurant is still doing so well. Why are you getting off work so late?"

"Hey! Old leader, this is all thanks to you. You managed Fengzeyuan so well before! Now Fengzeyuan's business and reputation have reached new heights."

Upon hearing this, Li Hongbing immediately showered him with compliments.

"You little brat... I'm no longer your boss, so sucking up to me won't work."

Gu Jianliang burst out laughing, then jokingly cursed before introducing the man to those around him: "Let me introduce you all, this is Comrade Li Hongbing. Don't let his young age fool you, he's only nineteen, but he's already a senior cook."

In just three years, he rose from an apprentice to a senior cook. I think this is unprecedented and unlikely to be repeated. What an outstanding young comrade…

Even though Li Hongbing's words just now had traces of flattery, Gu Jianliang, who was experienced in politics, couldn't possibly not hear it. However, what Li Hongbing said was also true.

If his previous reforms at Fengzeyuan hadn't received recognition and affirmation from higher authorities, and if the success of this pilot reform hadn't provided valuable experience for the overall reform of public-private partnerships, he wouldn't be in his current position.

Simultaneously.

Li Hongbing was also one of his "achievements" during his tenure at Fengzeyuan.

To some extent, Li Hongbing represents the main achievement of his efforts in talent cultivation and reform during his tenure at Fengzeyuan.

no way.

The time was too short; apart from Li Hongbing, a "genius," there are very few people who can achieve such rapid success in such a short period of time.

Learning a craft can sometimes take three to five years just to get the basics down.

"So this is the young comrade, the rising star chef from Fengzeyuan?"

"Truly young and promising!"

"It's truly remarkable that someone so young has achieved such success."

"Li Hongbing... I've heard of that name before. Didn't you once bravely save a little girl from the moat?"

"What a good comrade!"

"..."

Gu Jianliang's few words clearly made everyone around him realize his respect and appreciation for Li Hongbing, and they immediately spoke up to express their opinions.

As for the title "Little Chef God," it was a nickname given to him by some busybodies during the spread of the word.

After all, at his age, he has achieved what he has, and many of the experienced chefs in Fengzeyuan's kitchen have praised him highly, which has led to his rapid rise to fame in the culinary circles of Beijing.

Li Hongbing made a few modest remarks, pretending not to know the purpose of their visit, and directly invited, "Old leader, and friends of all the old leaders, my girlfriend owns a silk shop over there, not far ahead. It's so cold outside, and it's snowing. Why don't we come inside, have a cup of tea, and warm ourselves up?"

This time is clearly well past working hours.

It was their business to voluntarily "work overtime," but Li Hongbing had no idea they were working. He simply assumed they were Gu Jianliang and his "friends" taking a walk.

The public-private partnership is inevitable. With the support of Gu Jianliang, a former leader, Chen Xueru's silk shop will have fewer obstacles in the future, making the process smoother.

"This……"

Just as everyone was hesitating, Gu Jianliang smiled and took the initiative to say, "Alright, then we'll take our leave."

"Old leader, everyone, this way please!"

(End of this chapter)